The Denza 500 is a Chinese electric car produced by a Chinese NEV manufacturer, an alliance between Daimler AG and partner BYD Auto.[2]

Denza EV front

Denza EV rear

Denza 500 front

Denza 500 rear

This is the latest version of the Denza electric car made exclusively for the Chinese market.[3] A March 2018 preview report said that features include LED lamps front and back, cold weather capability, and a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen with navigation info from Baidu Maps that can also help locate charging stations. There were 112,000 such stations in China at the time. The new vehicle was to be sold at select Mercedes-Benz dealers in China. [4]

The 2018 facelift also resulted in a restyled front fascia, rear bumper and tail lamps, an updated interior, and a name change to Denza 500. Range of the Denza 500 is said to be 451 kilometers measured by the NEDC standard, while the pre-facelift version had a range of 352 kilometers when launched in 2014; in 2017, Denza had launched a 400 km version.

The battery pack of the Denza 500 was upgraded to 70 kWh from the previous 62 kWh of the Denza EV. According to Denza, the consumption is 15.9 kWh per 100 kilometers, and a range of 635 kilometers could be achieved. [5] As of October 2018, prices of the Denza 500 ranges from 298,800 to 328,800 yuan. [6]

The original Denza EV was previewed by the Denza concept during the 2012 Beijing Auto Show and was launched as a prototype during the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. [7]The official launch of the production car was in 2014 with a price range 369,000 yuan to 399,000 yuan ($60,000 – 65,000). [8][9]The Denza EV is based on the same platform as the Mercedes-Benz B-Class while the electric powertrain comes from the BYD e6 electric car producing 184hp with the top speed of 150 kilometers per hour. Range of the latest version is 352 kilometers.[10][11]